The present invention relates to a feeding device for introducing steel melt into twin-belt casters having mold walls which move exclusively in the casting direction, and which is of the type disclosed in German Patent Application P 33 11 090.5 corresponding to the above identified United States Patent Application. This feeding device includes a pouring body or pipe which is pivotal about a horizontal pivot axis and laterally displaceable transversely to its longitudinal dimension. Together with its own carriage, the pouring pipe forms its own pouring unit which is movable independently of a tundish disposed upstream of the pouring unit and of the twin-belt caster. Via the mouthpiece or spout of the pouring pipe, which extends to between the mold walls, the pouring pipe forms a sealing gap with the mold walls and can be connected to the movable, height adjustable tundish by way of a sealing surface in the form of a ball socket or ball pin or pivot which forms part of a ball joint.
The movable and adjustable arrangement of the pouring pipe makes it possible to separate it from the tundish and from the twin belt caster and thus heat the connecting members between the tundish and the twin belt caster, which are now accessible, by means of burners. Moreover, the mouthpiece of the pouring pipe, in view of its ball joint connection with the tundish, can be aligned with respect to the mold chamber of the twin belt caster in such a manner that it forms a sealing gap with the mold walls to prevent steel melt from escaping to the environment between mouthpiece and mold walls.
Proper operation of the feeding device, however, is assured only if the relative movement between the pouring pipe and the tundish meets with sufficient accuracy in the ball joint serving as the seal. When the applicable ceramic members of the tundish and of the pouring pipe are heated, thermal expansion occurs which may lead to unpredictable lateral, height and angular displacements. Although the mouthpiece of the pouring pipe can also be aligned with respect to the mold chamber after heating, it is impossible to determine whether, after heating, the position and configuration of the sealing surfaces forming the ball joint still meet the requirements. If this should not be the case, a gap remains in the region of the ball joint which usually necessitates termination of the casting process after a short period of time.